Push button volume control device for radio receiving sets



G. J. BARRY Feb. 7, 1939.

PUSH BUTTON VOLUME CONTROL DEVICE FOR RADIO RECEIVING SETS Filed Jan. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 7, 1939. G. J. BARRY 2,146,049

PUSH BUTTON VOLUME CONTROL DEVICE FOR RADIO RECEIVING SETS Filed Jan. 25, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Ciel-41% 1 Patented Feb. 7, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PUSH BUTTON VOLUME CONTROL DEVICE FOR RADIO RECEIVING SETS Application January 25, 1938, Serial No. 188,902

5 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in volume control devices for radio receiving sets and more particularly to push button operated volume control devices.

Recent trends in the design and style of radio receiving sets and cabinets therefor have for the most part centered about various novel systems for controlling the several adjustable units of the radio receiver. Prominent among these systems has been the introduction and adoption of a push button and plunger control system for tuning the radio receiver and the principal ob- Ject of the present invention is to provide a similar push button and plunger system for operating the volume control device of such receiver which will harmonize in appearance with such push button tuning and other control elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a push button operated volume control device for radio receivers which is of relative simple construction and operation and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture and assemble.

These and other objects of the invention and the features and details of its construction and operation are hereinafter fully set forth and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure l is a view in perspective of a radio receiving set cabinet equipped with push button tuning and a push button volume control device in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of a push button volume control device for radio receivers constructed according to the invention and showing the parts of said device in their normal inoperative positions.

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation of the disclosure in Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the device as in Figure 2 showing the relation of the several parts thereof with one of the operating buttons pushed partially inward; and

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figures 2 and 5 showing the position of the parts with said button pushed inward the full extent of its permitted movement.

Referring now to the drawings, a push button volume control device made according to the invention comprises a base or frame structure I having front and rear upwardly extending end wall portions 2 and 3 respectively. The rear wall 3 of the frame structure I is considerably nar rower than the width of the base portion of the said frame and secured to said rear wall 3 outwardly thereof is a supplemental wall member 4 the dimensions of which conform substantially to those of the front wall portion 2 of the frame I.

An opening is formed in the base portion of the frame structure I as shown and the shaft 5 of a volume control potentiometer P of the conventional type is journalled within a sleeve or bushing 6 which forms a part of said potentiometer structure and passes through said opening. The potentiometer is secured with respect to said frame structure I by means of lock nuts I and 8 respectively on the bushing 6 as best shown in Figure 4 of the drawings. A collar or pulley device 9 is fixedly secured upon the upper portion of the potentiometer shaft 5 by means of a set screw I which engages a flat portion II on said shaft and a C type concavo-conveX resilient washer I2 is interposed between the adjacent ends of said collar or pulley 9 and the sleeve o r bushing 6 with its inner edge engaging a continuous slot or groove I3 formed circumferentially in said shaft to provide a predetermined amount of friction tending to oppose rotation of the pulley 9 and shaft 5 for a purpose which will be fully explained hereinafter.

Rotation of the collar or pulley 9 and hence the potentiometer P to control the volume is effected by means of a pair of push rods and cords arranged as hereafter described. The push rods are identified by reference numerals I4 and I5 respectively and these are slidably mounted in the front and rear walls 2 and 4 at opposite sides of the collar or pulley 9 for movement parallel to the base portion of said frame I. The forwardly projecting ends of the push rods or plungers I4 and I5 have mounted thereon suitably designed operating buttons I6 and I1 respectively.

Outward or forward movement of the push rods or plungers is positively limited by means of washers I8 which have a washer I9 of felt or the like secured to their forward faces for engagement with the inner surface of the front wall portion 2 of the frame I for the purpose of making operation of said plungers or push rods I4 and I5 substantially noiseless. On the other hand, movement of the push rods I4 and I 5 in the opposite or inward direction is normally opposed by springs which embrace the rearward ends of said push rods and operate between the wall 4 of the frame I and washers 2| secured on the push rods to constantly urge the latter forwardly to the limit of their outward movement as determined by the washers I8 and I9 on 10 by meansof a clamp or like element 23 and one end of a second cord 24 is similarly connected to the push rod I5 by the clamp 25. Each cord 22 and 24 is then wrapped several times loosely about the pulley 9 in respectively opposite directions so 15 that, for example, said cord 22 and push rod l4 operates to eflect a counterclockwise rotation of the pulley 9 as shown while said cord 24 and push rod II operate to effect clockwise rotation of said pulley and the forward ends of said cords 22 and go 34 are connected respectively to springs 28 and 521 which are in turn connected to the front wall 2 of the frame structure i as shown in the drawings.

As stated above, the cords 22 and 24 are wrapped 25 loosely about the pulley 9 so that when the push rods i4 and I! are in their forward inoperative position the said cords 22 and 24 will be comparatively slack as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. Consequently, after either of the' push rods is 30 actuated inwardly thus tightening its cord upon 75 drawings effected by inward movement of the the pulley to rotate the same in one direction, and upon release of such push rod to allow it to return to its forward inoperative position its cord will become increasingly slack thus loosening the grip thereof upon the pulley 9 so that it will remain in the position to which rotated. Thus either the same push rod may be successively actuated inwardly to effect step-by-step rotation of said pulley in the same direction to its ultimate limit as controlled by movement of the potentiometer P, or said pulley may be actuated in a like step-bystep manner in the oppos te direction by inward actuation of the other push rod.

Further in regard to the above. to insure that the pulley ii will remain in the position to which it is rotated by a single actuation of either push rod i4 or I! which such push rod is released and returned to inoperative position by its spring i8, suillcient friction must be provided to hinder rotation of the shaft 5. There is some friction for said pulley 9 in addition to that inherent in the potentiometer P due to the contact arm thereof which is pressed against the resistance block. This friction may be supplemented by the concavo-convex resilient washer i2 which is interposed between said pulley 9 and the bushing 6 within which the shaft is journalled. The friction thus provided, while necessarily suflicient to hold the pulley 9 and shaft 5 in the position to which successively rotated, whether in the same or opposite directions, must, of course, not be suiiicient to prevent actual rotation of said pulley upon inward actuation of either push rod M or iii.

The invention is mounted within a radio receiving set cabinet 28 as illustrated, for example, in Figure 1 of the drawings with the push buttons i6- and I! on the push rods i4 and i5 constructed and arranged to harmonize in appearance and position with the push buttons 28 which operate to control the tuning and other units of the radio receiver. The potentiometer P is connected into the radio receiving set circuit in such manner, for example, that counterclockwise rotation of the pulley 9 with respect to Figures 2, 5 and 6 of the push rod II will correspondingly actuate said potentiometer to cause the sound reproduced by the loud speaker to increase while clockwise rotation of said pulley 9 affected by inward movement of the push rod II will actuate the potentiometer to decrease the volume of the sound. Accordingly, in operation of the device, to increase or decrease the volume of sound reproduced by the radio receiving set, it is only necessary that the push buttons i8 and ll be selectively actuated inwardly with the result that the mechanisms associated therewith including the cords 22 and 24 will operate as hereinabove described to rotate the pulley 9 and potentiometer P in respectively opposite directions until the desired sound volume is obtained.

While a particular embodiment of the invention has been herein illustrated and described, it is not intended that the invention be precisely limited to that form of device, but that changes and modifications in construction and arrangement may be embodied or incorporated therein within the scope of the annexed claims.

I claim:

1. In a cabinet type radio receiving set, the combination with a volume control device comprising a rotary potentiometer having a shaft normally hindered against rotation by friction, a frame structure supporting said shaft and fixedly secured within the radio cabinet, a pair of push rod elements slidably mounted in said frame structure and projecting externally of said radio cabinet, means tending to urge the push rod elements outwardly of the radio cabinet, and a pair of cables having a portion of their length wrapped about the shaft in opposite directions with one corresponding end of each of said cables connected by means of a spring to the frame structure and the other corresponding end of each cable connected to one of said push rod elements ad- Jacent the inner end thereof, said cables being of such length that in the outermost inoperative position of the push rods, they are substantially slack and loosely embrace the shaft, so that upon inward actuation of either of the push rod elements such slack in the cable connected thereto will be taken up and said cable caused to firmly grip said shaft and rotate the same and said potentiometer in a predetermined direction and upon outward movement of such push rod will again become slack thus releasing its grip on the shaft to allow the latter to remain in the position to which rotated for the purpose of permitting further rotation of said shaft in the samedirection by a subsequent inward actuation of the same push rod or in an opposite direction by inward actuation of the other push rod.

2. In a cabinet type radio receiving set, the combination with a volume control device comprising a rotary potentiometer having a shaft normally hindered against rotation by friction, of a pulley fixed on said shaft, a frame structure supporting said shaft and fixedly secured within the radio cabinet, a pair of push rod elements slidably mounted in said frame structure at opposite sides of said pulley and projecting externally of said radio cabinet, means tending to urge the push rod elementsto the limit of their outward movement, and a pair of cables having a portion of their length wrapped about the pulley in opposite directions with one corresponding end of each of said cables connected by means of a spring to the frame structure and the other corthereof, said cables being of such length that in the outermost inoperative position of the push rods they are substantially slack and loosely embrace the pulley so that upon inward actuation of either of the push rod elements such slack in the cable connected thereto will be taken up and said cable caused to firmly grip said pulley and rotate the same and saidpotentiometer in a predetermined direction and upon outward movement of such push rod will again become slack thus releasing its .grip on the pulley to allow the latter to remain in the position to which rotated for the purpose of permitting further rotation of said pulley in the same direction by a subsequent inward actuation of the same push rod or in an opposite direction by inward actuation of the other push rod,,

3. In a cabinet type radio receiving set, the combination with a volume control device comprising a rotary potentiometer having a shaft normally hindered against rotation by friction, of a pulley fixed on said shaft, a frame structure. supporting said shaft and fixedly secured within the radio cabinet, a pair of push rod elements slidably mounted in said frame structure at opposite sides of said pulley and projecting externally of said radio cabinet, means for limiting movement of said push rod elements in each direction, means tending to urge the push rod elements to the limit of their outward movement, a pair of cables having a portion of their length wrapped about the pulley in opposite directions with one corresponding end of each of said cables connected by means of springs to the frame structure and the other corresponding end of each cable connected to one of said push rod elements adjacent the inner end thereof, said cables being of such length that in the outermost inoperative position of the push rods they are substantially slack and loosely embrace the pulley so that upon inward actuation of either of the push rod ele I ments such slack in the cable connected thereto will be taken up and said cable caused to firmly grip said pulley and rotate the same and said potentiometer in a predetermined direction and upon outward movement of such push rod will again become slack thus releasing its grip on the pulley to allow the latter to remain in the position to which rotated for the purpose of permitting further rotation of said pulley in the same prising a rotary potentiometer having a shaft normally hindered against rotation by friction, of a pulley fixed on said shaft, a frame structure supporting the shaft and fixedly secured within the radio cabinet, 2. pair of push rod elements slidably mounted in said frame structure at opposite sides of said pulley andproiecting externally of the radio cabinet, means tending to urn the push rod elements to the limit of their outward movement, means for deadening noise due to operation of said push rods, a pair of cables having a portion of their length wrapped about the pulley in opposite directions with one corresponding end of each of said cables connected by means of-a spring to the frame structure and the other corresponding end of each cable connected to one of said push rod elements adjacent the inner end thereof, said cables being of such length that in the outermost inoperative position of the push rods they are substantially slack and loosely embrace the pulley so that upon inward actuation of either of the push rod elements such slack in the cable connected thereto will be taken up and said cable caused to firmly grip said pulley and rotate the same and said mitting further rotation of said pulley in the.

same direction by a subsequent inward actuation of the same push rod or in an opposite direction by inward actuation of the other push rod.

5. In a cabinet type radio receiving set, the combination with a volume control device comprising a rotary potentiometer having a shaft normally hindered against rotation by friction, of a pulley fixed on said shaft, and frame structure supporting the shaft and fixedly secured within the radio cabinet, a pair of push rod elements slidably mounted in said frame structure at opposite sides of said pulley and projecting externally of the radio cabinet, means for limiting movement of said push rod elements in each direction, means tending to urge the push rod elements to the limit of their outward movement, means for deadening noise due 'to operation of said push rods, and a pair of cables having a portion of their length wrapped about the pulley in opposite directions with one corresponding end of each of said cables connected by means of a spring to the frame structure and the other corresponding end of each cable connected to one of said push rod elements adjacent the inner end thereof, said cables being of such length that in the outermost inoperative position of the push rods they are substantially slack and loosely embrace the pulley so that upon inward actuation of either of the push rod elements such slack in the cable connected thereto will be taken up and said cord caused to firmly grip said pulley and rotate the same and said potentiometer in a predetermined direction and upon return outward movement of such push rod will again become slack thus releasing its grip on the pulley to allow the latter to remain in the position to which rotated for the purpose of permitting further rotation of said pulley in the same direction by a subsequent inward actuation of the same push rod or in an opposite direction by inward actuation of the other push rod.

GERALD J. many. 

